One of the more difficult tasks in commercial structures such as an office building or hotel, for example, is to ensure that the central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) have properly balanced airflows based on the needs of each space. This is typically accomplished by manually adjusted fixed dampers within the supply and exhaust ventilation systems that are located throughout the structure.
These conventional air regulation devices typically include an adjustment mechanism in order to allow a technician to manually set an airflow volume which can be allowed to pass through each device. Once installed throughout the building, the technician and/or engineer must then perform a complicated balancing procedure wherein each of the previously installed devices are manually adjusted in order to achieve the desired airflow and exhaust rate throughout the structure. This manual process of adjusting mechanical dampers is challenging to perform accurately and does not accommodate any changes in the duct pressure caused from stack/chimney effect, loading of dirt and dust on filters/grilles/ductwork, user interaction, closing of registers, wind, and other systematic issues. The manual balancing process is also a labor intensive process thereby functions to greatly increase the cost of deploying the conventional systems, owing to the high amount of labor required.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an automatic airflow balancing valve for HVAC systems that do not suffer from the drawbacks of the above noted devices.